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In the Hollywood hierarchy of stardom, Cantinflas, the beloved Mexican comic actor, was like a streaking comet — white-hot and short-lived. Though well established in his homeland, he was a relative unknown to most in this country when he burst on the scene, costarring with David Niven in 1956's "Around the World in 80 Days." Instead of staying and riding the tide of critical attention brought by the blockbuster, Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes, born in poverty in 1911, returned to Mexico to continue his remarkable career there. His character, dubbed Cantinflas and inspired by a drunken street cleaner he spotted outside a theater, first took shape on the 1930s...

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In the Hollywood hierarchy of stardom, Cantinflas, the beloved Mexican comic actor, was like a streaking comet — white-hot and short-lived. Though well established in his homeland, he was a relative unknown to most in this country when he burst on the...